Customer Reviews

Split Image

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although made in 1981 or so, this film still packs an emotional punch. Very creepy and sure to hit home. The film centers around a very nice upper middle class family whose oldest son, Danny, a college athlete, falls prey to a "cult". Now, I guess they're supposed to be "Jesus freaks", but truthfully, that cult was anything but "christian".
The thing that sticks out most with this film, I believe, is that it makes you feel like something like this can happen to any American family, in any town, city, or whatever. Danny, played superbly by Michael O'Keefe (Caddyshack), is an ordinary teenage college student with all the same emotions and feelings as anyone else. Not from a divorced household, no drugs, no abuse...just a plain young man, loved dearly and supported strongly by his parents. Although later in the film, one gets the feeling that, like most families, it's all not perfect. Then why would he give up his college education and promising athletic future to follow a guru and live on a commune? I believe that is what the directer and writers are trying to challenge us with. This young man was not dumb in anyway, or confused about his future...ah, but he did meet a girl who turned him on to "Homeland", the youth-oriented cult. So maybe this is what the directer is trying to explain to us. I get the feeling that this film was researched or taken from actual experience, because it's very convincing.
I myself, during my college years, was approached by a "cult" if you will...but, after a few meetings and get-togethers with them, I politely
declined, never to see them again. So, one wonders if these "cults" are targeting younger adults/children like most do? But then, why? Younger people certainly don't usually have a lot of money to give. And these are the questions that this film ponders and challenges us with.
Even when this film ends, and the credits roll, you get the feeling that it's not quite over.
Anyhow, this film is certainly worthy to stand up to the big Hollywood epics being shown now-a-days, that have no intellectual value, just junk food for the brain. I believe that this movie was way ahead of its time, and think that it should be shown along side any anti-drug film in health class. "Split Image" really is a wake up call.

Loved it when it came out. Well written and Woods and the rest of the cast are excellent! Still holds up today and should be reissued on DVD!

Here's one I'd love to see on DVD. With a little promotion this interesting film (and strong cast)could really find an audience. I'll be first in line.

This is a great movie. I remember seeing it in the early 80's. Michael O'Keefe was great as Danny. The scenes where he (and others including Peter Fonda) speak in tounges was dead on. To see him get sucked in and wondering the whole time "what does he see in this cult" really draws you into the movie. The desparation from the parents was believable. James Woods as Pratt, the deprogramer kicked it into high gear. Woods defined his grizzled, hard core, come-on-too-strong character that served him so well in his career.

A great drama. It should be seen by every parent to help keep them from being lulled into complacency about where their kids are in life (no matter how seemingly perfect the family is) and where their relationships with them are.

I was enjoying the movie way back when, and then at the end (I won't give it away) I noticed a street scene in downtown Dallas. I was a Dallas Cop at the time and had no idea it was filmed in their area (a bonus for this Dallas boy, cause not a lot of filming in this area back then, Logan's Run and Robocop to name a couple of others). I had also become a Christian in '78 and attended a church for a bit that had a single leader who decided all the young men should live in a commune relationship in a rented house in East Dallas to separate themselves from non-believers. (Kirklander) I had just moved out on my own at the time and was about 18-19. When I refused to move in with them and didn't come back to the church, I was excommunicated from the (universal) church and told I wasn't a believer (sounds cultish I think). Anyway, they later rescended the excummunication when the leader was told he was wrong by someone he looked up to. (yea, I get to go to heaven after all) Anyway, parts of this film I can relate to on various levels for sure.

I've really been looking for it on DVD or Netflix but it's time to break down and get a copy, even if it's VHS.

I was lucky enough to have been doing the catering to the crew that was building Homeland from the "World of Animals" location off Lawson Road off Hwy 80. The Art Director Wolf Kruger (who also designed the Popeye Set and Ted Kotcheff also directed Popeye) was such a quite and nice man. Not knowing who he was, I use to make him talk to me when I was serving lunch to the crew before the Movie People arrived. I was out there 2 months before the shooting began with the IATSI, Bill Bradford and his construction crew. And my husband delriodan McCollough was hired as a carpenter to work on making the elephant hut into a Pyramid for the Homeland Set. And I was there when all the trucks started filing in. I was lucky enough to get on as an extra and I was a homelander. I was there when Peter Fonda gave his speech outside and I was left on the cutting room floor when Mr. Fonda threw the food against the wall. I had been serving the food before that. When Ted Kotcheff needed a server for the food, he looked at me and said "Yes, Joy, you need in this shot....how appropriate." Clip Clip.....
As I said my husband Dan was hired to help with the carpentry and then went to set dressing under Rob Edleson. I also remember one evening up at Lake Ray Hubbard where the 2 story white house was located, Kevin Stetson (Brian Dennehy) and his wife Dianna (Elizabeth Ashley) and Danny (Michael O'Keefe) lived and where the de-Programming (done extremely well by JAMES WOODS) was going to take place. It was very late and there were so many lights and electrical cords everywhere. While waiting for his scene Michael O'Keefe was in the garage with his guitar playing and singing and Dan had a tin he was playing drums on. I remember the den were everyone smoked and snuffed out tons of cigarettes and put in the ashtrays to make it look like a long night.... and then it was ready for the big scene where the bedroom door gets busted down....but it was hung that the door was backwards from the way it needed to be pushed in. My husband Dan got out the skill saw to fix the door the opposite way to open when "POOF" all the lights went out as the saw overloaded the circuit breakers already to max outage. Not missing a beat, Dan picked up a handsaw and kept going and was finished with the door when the lights came on.
I also remember filming at a studio near North Park off Greenville Ave. There we were sitting down for dinner in the alley out back of the studio (there was more room) and sitting across from me was James Woods. He was so nice and nothing phony about him at all. The Holocaust had just come out and he had done such an intense acting job as the artist whose fingers are mutilated.
And I can say only nice things about Karen Allen. She was at the height of her career with "Raiders of the lost Ark" introducing her to us, what a pretty and talented actress she is. I sat across from her during lunch one day at the table with the cast and crew since I knew everyone. I remember her saying she was from New York and I believe that Ted Kotcheff is also from NYC since his directs "Law and Order Special Victims Unit". Ted had this beautiful oriental lady beside him, and I am not sure if they were married or not.
Elizabeth Ashley, what a character. She is very tall, which surprised me and has this grand voice. She favored caftans and was such a "presence" when she was around. Her assistant was close and personal, a beautiful girl.
Michael O'Keefe. When he got ready to shoot, he would start some karate moves, very slow and defined to get ready for his part. He had on a wig (his hair was suppose to get cut off for the movie) and Dan kept saying that it was his real hair, me not. Michael is the type of person Dan and I would love to know. He was quiet and I never heard him complain once, about the mesquites or flies or the very long hours.
AND then there was Peter Fonda - Captain America himself. What can I say but wow? He was in a class by himself. He would see Dan and say "HI DelRio".
Everyone was staying at a hotel on Central close to Mockingbird. The crew had rented many rooms for production and living arrangements during the shoot. This was my first real introduction to Hollywood. I had been doing catering for a couple of years and worked on many TV commercials and rock concerts in and around the Dallas Area. This was in 1980's. Then opened my own catering company "Commando Catering" and worked with the best talent in the world, right here in Dallas, Texas.
If anyone wants to say hi, I am still in Dallas and Dan is painting again. He is quite the artist and has been painting on the weekends at the American Airlines Center where the Mavs and Stars Play. He is there usually till noon.
You can see his art on [...] and catch up on him. Dan is still as magic as he ever was. His cell is 972-977-1067. Dan also worked on "Celebrity" produced in Dallas at the Los Colinas Studios. This was the first outside set built there and he also built the set for "Tender Mercies" in Palmer, Texas outside of Dallas. Swampy also was the painter on these sets and taught Dan how to make paint look old and weathered. In the Tender Mercy's motel, Dan even had to make the roof have sag for reality and on the left motel; there was a breakaway roof.
I love this business.....
joy mccollough